IMAGINARY BORDERS

Indigenous youth climate change activist and musician Martinez (Mexica) reimagines environmentalism for a new generation.

The many facts presented in this slim volume are enhanced with details of his personal story, including growing up in Boulder, Colorado, and being involved with environmental activism from early childhood. Martinez argues that climate change is an urgent issue that disproportionately impacts communities of color like his own. He also traces the political history of climate change rhetoric, pointing out that it was once a bipartisan issue before fossil fuel and fracking companies and wealthy lobbyists stymied conversations by exerting pressure on Republican politicians. He points out that all too often members of both major political parties keep silent, a move calculated to increase short-term profit while courting long-term financial ruin. Using his own experience as an intersectional, socially aware hip-hop artist, Martinez concludes the book with a call to action, encouraging his generation to use nontraditional, artistic approaches to creating change. This beautifully argued book is packed with facts, seamlessly weaving together the author’s personal experiences with well-researched observations of politics, economics, and history. Martinez’s language is clear and decisive, and his voice is intimate, bold, and inspiring, all of which make the book impossible to put down.

A hopeful, well-argued book on climate change written in a refreshing new voice.